Illumined Life Leadership

Running my Internet marketing firm means I work very long, hard hours.  I lead our sales efforts, drive our creative teams and oversee program quality.  I work tirelessly on the processes we use and people we hire to become more efficient and less dependent upon me.  My hope is to work myself out of a job over the next several years.

It’s easy to mistakenly say to yourself, “When I accomplish all these things and achieve all these goals, I’ll be happy.”  That’s not the way happiness works.

A speaker at a men’s prayer breakfast I attend shared a quote that sheds some light on this.  It says,

The ego says, “Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel peace.”

The spirit says, “Find your peace, and then everything will fall into place.”

I’d like to convince myself that once my business gets streamlined and funded and I become successful (whatever that means), I’ll be happy.  I’ll be making more money.  I’ll have more freedom to travel and more time to spend with my loved ones.  “Of course I’ll be happy, right?”

The problem is this is it assumes you can control your way to happiness.  In this make-believe world, happiness comes to those that achieve.  You know what? I make an income today that in my twenties was far beyond my definition of filthy rich.  I now run the business I could only dream of running when I was younger.  I’ve accomplished a lot.

Yet my success to date hasn’t brought me happiness.  What does make me happy is sharing tapas and dinner with my wife of thirty years, family and friends.  It’s sitting down with my daughter to discuss a job offer she’s just received.  (She actually confides in me and asks for my input.)  It’s realizing my youngest daughter who’ll be off to college is well prepared and excited about leaving the nest and taking on this new challenge.  It’s helping an employee with a paycheck advance she’ll be using to purchase her first home.

Notice it is NOT the accomplishments that bring me happiness.  It’s the place my head is at that enables me to appreciate what happens in my life’s journey.  It’s based on awareness and the nurturing of relationships with people I love.

Here’s a word picture for you.  Happiness does NOT come from focusing on my mobile device GPS map thinking of the happiness I’ll feel when my car arrives at my destination. 

It comes from:

• • Opening the car windows,
• • Feeling the rush of the wind,
• • Holding the hand of the lady next to me who’s been putting up with me all these years,
• • Appreciating the moon rise in front of us which I would typically miss and
• • Keeping my mind free from tomorrow’s to-do list and mental clutter so I don’t miss out on the happiness of my situation.

My Uncle Max passed away recently and I shared a few moments with his daughter Adriana after the burial.   I don’t see her often because she is now a sister in the Mother Theresa order of nuns serving the poorest of the poor in Mexico.

My uncle had a sly sense of humor and really appreciated the ironies in life.  My cousin lives a very basic life with zero in the way of worldly possessions.  She explained to me the irony of riding in a black limousine to the cemetery.   A friend of hers joked about taking a picture of her in full nun garb sitting in the driver’s seat of the Porche 911 parked next to the limo.  We all smiled because we knew how this would all strike Uncle Max.  “I’m sure Dad’s cracking up right now,” she said.

Happiness comes when you least expect it and from the least likely of things.  Don’t miss out.

Jorge Lazaro Diaz
Founder/Chief Internet Marketing and Technology Officer of Larry Jacob Internet Marketing

Jorge Lazaro Diaz is the Founder and President of Larry Jacob Internet Marketing. His expertise comes with strong marketing, copy writing and technology skills delivering Internet Marketing, Infusionsoft Automation and Website Design solutions that deliver results to small and medium sized businesses.